


Personality Matrix

by Dagenhart



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Darla - Freeform, Depot, Despondos, Entrapdak, Etheria - Freeform, Fanfiction, First Ones, Hordak - Freeform, Horde Prime - Freeform, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Multi, Old Acquaintances, Portal - Freeform, Quantum Interdimensional Travel, Scorfuma, Scorpia - Freeform, catra - Freeform, catradora, entrapta - Freeform, hypothesis, perfuma - Freeform, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25085146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagenhart/pseuds/Dagenhart
Summary: The war with Horde Prime is finally over and Etherians focus their efforts on rebuilding what was lost. Catra and Scorpia will make a discovery that will set the best friend quad on an interdimensional mission.Fanfic set after the events of SPOP Season 5, attempting to create a new adventure while respecting the canon as much as possible.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella & Glimmer (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Darla | Mara's Ship/Entrapta (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Kyle/Rogelio (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 110





	1. Personality Matrix

Adora sighed and placed her hand on the panel. The ship began trembling a bit and all the lights inside the cockpit flickered.

“New personality matrix loaded. Funtionality: Restored. Administrator detected. Welcome, Adora. I’m Darla. What’s your query?”  
Adora smiled excited.

“Yesss! It’s working!”

“Of course, it’s working! I told you Beast Island was a treasure trove of First Ones Tech!”

Entrapta started drooling and muttering stuff into her recorder while moving around the ship, assessing all the new flashy panels.

“It’s a shame it doesn’t have more lasers. With tech like that, this vessel could support a really powerful arsenal”

Adora frowned, looking over her shoulder

“Hordak… Last time you got your hands on a laser, you destroyed half the Fright Zone and almost killed Catra”

Hordak frowned back at her and muttered:  
“Well, I’m still surprised she dodged it instead of running straight into it…”

Adora’s expression went from frowning to confused amusement in a second. Hordak looked away.  
“You know… Because…Cat..ra. Lasers… It…was a joke”

A smile began forming in Adora’s face, but it was completely outshined by a hysterical burst of laughter, as Entrapta returned

“Lasers! I get it! Because she’s Cat..ra! Good one”  
Entrapta raised herself to his level and gave Hordak a little kiss on the tip of the nose, making him blush inmediately. 

Adora struggled to hold back a giggle. Hordak? Blushing? Things were sure changing around since Horde Prime was defeated. Bow and Glimmer, Mermista and Seahawk… Even Scorpia and Perfuma. Everyone seemed to be finally finding each other.  
Her mind wandered, happily, going back to where it always went. To that moment in the Core. To Catra...

“Adora, you’re blushing. And Catra is not even here”  
She snapped out of it and blushed even deeper, waving her hand  
“What? No! I’m not blushing. You’re blushing! Hordak is blushing! Everyone is blushing but me!”

“My sensors indicate that you are indeed blushing and your heart rate has increased. Diagnosis: Hormones”  
Adora frowned annoyed and lightly punched the panel  
“Thanks, Darla. You’re reeeeeally helpful. I mean it”  
“I’m glad I can be of help.”

Entrapta chuckled and turned around, going back to her tech, dragging Hordak by the sleeve. Adora waves and turns around.  
“Anyways, I’m gonna go find Glimmer and Bow. They’ll want to see this for sure. And Entrapta… No lasers.”

Entrapta waved goodbye and leaned into Hordak, almost whispering.  
“That means maaaaybe one laser. Or two.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adora walked across the courtyard absentmindedly, heading towards the throne room, but before she reached the main gates, she took a little detour and walked towards the gardens. Heavyness grew in her chest as she got close. A lot of conflicting memories rushing through her mind.  
There it was. A magical vortex, twirling over one of the fountains. It was dark red coloured, but in the center, a mote of brilliant green shone. Adora placed her hand over the plaque and read it once again: May your light spin and your shadows waver

King Micah had been reluctant about the monument at first, but weirdly enough, Castaspella insisted. Her sacrifice didn’t redeem her of all the doubt and pain she inflicted on both her and Catra. But even so, Adora kind of…missed her.  
A single tear streamed down her cheek but Adora shook her head and finally turned around, walking inside the castle. 

The hallways where brimming with life, as guards and workers walked around, and Adora allowed herself to relax a bit… only to suddenly tense again at only two words.  
“Hey Adora”  
She turned around and there she was, with a sarcastic smile on her face. Adora lunged and hugged her instantly, laughing, but something felt wrong.  
A low tone chuckle reached her ears as she broke the hug.  
“Jeez darling… You have to be careful with that strength of yours or you are going to end up breaking the wildcat”  
Catra’s figure began changing in front of her, and there they were. Smiling at their own mischief  
“Double Trouble, I swear next time you do this I’m going to go full She-Ra on you and toss you so far even Darla won’t be able to track you”

They laughed and bowed to Adora  
“Come oon… You’re so not fun. My theatrics are improving, aren’t they?”  
They chuckled and turned around, raising an arm in a dramatic way  
“Anyways, Glimmer was looking for you earlier. She heard you already installed the new thingy on the ship. She’s waiting for you in the throne room obviously”

Adora turned around and left without saying anything else. She didn’t know why, but she felt a bit angry at them. Was it anger though? Or was she just missing Catra? She shook her head and walked away, covering the distance to the throne room.


	2. The Hologram

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Scorpia return from Plumeria with a worker's convoy heading to Bright Moon. The road leads them through the Whispering Woods

Catra stretched and yawned while watching the convoy begin to advance once again. The Whispering Woods were… beautiful. After She-Ra healed the land and turned the Horde’s flagship into a broccoli, Etheria had changed inmeasurably.   
Colours were vibrant all around and the dense foliage of the trees hummed and chittered as all kinds of little animals and insects moved.

A dumb smile was slowly forming on her face. And Scorpia noticed, loading two bags on her shoulder and walking up to her.

“You okay, there Catra? You are smiling. Be careful not to hurt yourself”  
Catra snapped out of it and glared at Scorpia, lightly punching one of her pincers.

“What. Can’t I just breathe for a bit and look around? We are killing ourselves out here doing the dirty work while the others get to play with that stupid ship.”

Scorpia laughed and started walking once again. The convoy of workers behind them followed the pace  
.  
“Nah, I was just messing with you. You know. It’s still a little weird. You only used to laugh when you were punching something, fighting something or evily plotting domination of something.”  
Catra’s ears lowered noticeable and she looked away from her. Flashbacks rushing through her memory: Adora hanging from a ledge in the Crystal Palace, the portal’s lever…

Scorpia noticed the sudden darkness on her face and gasped, dropping the bags and hugging (crushing) Catra.  
“No no no! It was just a joke! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories!”  
Catra struggled and broke free of the hug, crawling away, but chuckled lightly looking at Scorpia.

“Don’t worry. I’m okay. It’s just… I’m tired. That’s all. And I… Well. Just tired”  
Scorpia sighed and grabbed the bags. Catra catched up and walked with her again. 

“Just tired, huh? Not… missing a certain blonde lady that turns into an 8-foot-tall sword wielding badass?”  
Catra chuckled and looked at her.  
“Says the pointy princess that couldn’t keep her pincers from snuggling Perfuma in all the 3 days we were in Plumeria”

Scorpia blushed deeply and started waving her pincers  
“What? I was not snuggling her… I was just… holding her…so she could… move faster…Yes! That's it”  
Catra laughed and shook her head.

“Look at you. Fearless Force Captain Scorpia defeated by the charms of Perfuma. Adora still wins though. She is indeed an 8-foot tall sword wielding badass. Minus the tiara. And the cape. And those boots. And all the ridiculous outfit. It would be better if she just transformed into an 8-foot sword wielding Adora.”  
Scorpia blushed again but giggled  
“Careful there Catra. You are starting to purr just by thinking about it”

Their conversation was interrupted by a little yelp that came from the trees. Melog materialized and rushed towards Catra, tugging its head on her hand.  
“Look who’s here! It seems like we’ll have to continue this conversation over some drinks in Bright Moon Scorpia. Unlike you, Melog is terrible at keeping secrets”

Melog started tugging Catra’s hand more insistently and yelped again. Something was wrong. Catra frowned and looked at Melog. With another yelp, it started running towards the trees.  
“Melog! Wait!”  
Catra lunged and started running behind it. Scorpia dropped the bags and followed. Melog ran for a bit, leaving the convoy behind, and led them towards a small clearing in the woods. Then suddenly stopped. 

Catra reached the clearing, panting, and was about to reprimand Melog when she saw something. A ruin. First One’s by the looks of it. And there was someone at its gates.  
She frowned and sneaked through the bushes, trying to get a better view of the person. But Scorpia stopped her, placing once pincer on her shoulder.  
“Catra wait. Look”

As she turned her head, the figure flickered and started walking around. It was kind of hazy, so Catra had trouble trying to define it's features. The figured walked towards the edge of the clearing. The further it walked from the ruin's gates, the more difficult it was to identify its form. After a while, the figure turned around and walked back towards the ruins, dissappearing through the gate. But the moment it stepped inside, Catra could get a clear glimpse of it's figure.  
It was a woman. A winged woman.


	3. Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winged figure dissappeared behind the gates. But who was it? Catra and Scorpia decide to investigate

As the winged figure disappeared through the gates, Catra began moving slowly towards the ruin, followed by Scorpia. They remained open, though no trace of the figure could be seen anymore in the hallway they opened to. Catra sighed and looked at Scorpia, waving her hand.  
“Contact Bright Moon. Adora and Sparkles will want to see this. I’m gonna check the door”  
Scorpia nodded and took out her pad to record a message. Melog walked around, smelling the ruin with interest, though it’s attention constantly shifted between the ruin and the butterflies that flew around the flowers.  
Catra walked slowly towards the gates and placed her hand on the cold stone, following the trace of runes that decorated it. Without thinking much about it, she walked into the hallway.  
“Okay, they say they’ll be here soon. We better stay put until they arrive Catra. Those ruins are daaaangerous”  
Catra chuckled and looked at Scorpia.  
“Come oon. I’m just looking around this hallway. What could possibly go…”  
Before she could say the word “wrong”, the gates shut before her, leaving her in complete darkness until a red light shone over her head and a laser began scanning her.  
[Unauthorized presence detected. Security measures deployed]  
“Aww come on!”  
Catra put her back against the wall and sprung her claws, ready to fight whatever the ruin would throw at her, but only silence ensued. Silence…and a faint annoying hiss. Catra frowned and looked around, looking for the source of the hiss, but the walls were perfectly plain.  
By the time she discovered the gas spewing vents on the ceiling, it was already too late.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catra woke up in a strange metal room. She didn’t know where she was. Or how she got there. The room was dimly lit, with a greenish tone to it. She slowly incorporated from the bed she was laying in and looked around. This was… the Fright Zone?  
“No…no…”  
She spun her head quickly, and indeed. There it was. The doodle she and Adora had made when they were kids. Catra could feel her heart skipping a beat and without hesitation, she got up and started running towards the door.  
Behind the door, though, there was only a chamber. A chamber with a big crystal on it. And this time, she wasn’t alone.  
“S…Shadow Weaver?”  
The figure turned around and looked at her with eyes of pure spite  
“Ah, there you are Catra. Late, as always. Do you ever tire of being a disappointment?”  
The words hit her in the gut with full force.  
“But… You…Where am I?”  
Shadow Weaver laughed.  
“Where you belong. I called you 20 minutes ago. And yet you are late again.”  
Catra shook her head. This couldn’t be real.  
“You are not Shadow Weaver. How do I get out?”  
The shadows in the room began growing inmensely and closing around her.  
“You always fail, don’t you? You always hurt the people you love. You don’t deserve to be happy, Catra. You only deserve to suffer”  
Catra recoiled and ran away from the room, as Shadow Weaver spat more insults towards her. She felt the warmth of tears running down her cheeks, but she didn’t care at all. She ran through the hallways. But at the end, what she found made her loose all control of her emotions.  
A figure stood at the end of the hallway. And at its feet…Adora. Bloodied and…dead?  
“N..no. No, please. Not you”  
Catra backed off as the figure dropped Adora’s beaten corpse and turned around. She could feel every inch of her body screaming for her to run. But terror kept her on a leash. Anxiety oppressing her chest as she stared in complete panic at the figure.  
“Hello Little Sister. We meet again”  
Catra’s mind gave up. Flashbacks coursing through her and tears streaming down her cheeks as she stepped back against the wall.  
“Catra…Catra…CATRA”  
Horde Prime walked towards her, calling her name. But she wasn’t just going to let this monster break her again. She lunged at it and slashed at its face, screaming in anger. Three scratches started bleeding on its cheek. But Horde Prime just smiled and kept walking.  
“CATRA…PLEASE”  
That last word caught her off guard. That wasn’t Horde Prime’s voice. Where was she? What was she hearing? Why was this happening?  
“CATRA!”  
It was too much. Catra collapsed to the floor.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Catra woke up once again. She was disoriented as she slowly opened her eyes. And there they were. Those eyes she constantly found herself getting lost into. Those…watery eyes? They were crying? And there was red…Blood?  
“A…Adora?”  
Adora hugged her tightly against her chest.  
“Catra… I was dead scared you dummy”  
Catra incorporated a bit and looked at her face…specifically at the three scratches. Wounds she had inflicted herself while hallucinating.  
Her ears lowered as she realized what was happening and she tried to break free from the hug, as the intrusive thoughts overwhelmed her mind again.  
“I…I…always end up hurting you. I’m sorry. I… I should”  
Her words were silenced as Adora’s lips pressed against hers. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She was sorry. But now… all Catra could focus in was the warmth of her embrace, the soft of her lips. And that feeling. That stupid tingling she felt every time she rediscovered that Adora was home.  
The rest of the team found them still like that a couple of minutes later.


	4. The Depot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Catra's gas-induced hallucinogenic nightmare, the group reunites again and decides to explore the ruins

Adora reluctantly let go of Catra and sighed, smiling at her  
“Are you gonna be okay? We can retire if you need some rest”  
Catra shook her head and took a deep breath.  
“Nah. I’ll be fine. Let’s just…not do that again anytime soon. I hate these places”  
Adora nodded and stood up, helping her up too. Bow, Glimmer and Scorpia had stood a bit separated to give them some space, but the sparkles in Bow’s eyes betrayed his cuteness overload. Catra hissed.  
“Not a single word or I’ll scratch you. I mean it”  
Bow covered his mouth trying to hide a smirk and whispered so only Glimmer could hear it.  
“So cuuuute”  
Adora chuckled and turned around, looking at the empty hallway.  
“We should continue carefully. I can feel a draft ahead, so there must be another room.”  
The group acknowledged and started following her, looking around with interest and caution. As they advanced, the runes on the walls began forming patterns and images. They could see a lot of orbs and circles. And there were lines connecting each orb together with a faint red glow.  
“It looks like some kind of galactic chart, doesn’t it? Maybe we should have brought Entrapta”  
Glimmer gripped her staff as she talked, confused. Adora waved her hand dismissively.  
“Nah, not necessary. If this is like other First One’s ruins, there should be some kind of console or hologram that explains what this place is”  
Glimmer shrugged and looked at Scorpia, who walked absentmindedly with a smile on her face.  
“You okay there, Scorpia? You haven’t said anything since we walked inside the ruin”  
Scorpia got a bit startled and looked at Glimmer, waving her pincers.  
“Oh! I’m okay. I was just thinking about those vines that seem to creep all the way up to the top of the ruins. I’m sure Perfuma would find them beautiful and was wondering which would be the best way to grab a sample without hurting its flowers”  
Bow made an almost 360º head spin and looked at her, excitedly  
“Ooh! That’s perfect! I’ve been working on a flora containment unit by her request. And I happen to have it here! We could use it to test its effectiveness!”  
The group advanced talking cheerfully for a while. The hallway seemed to stretch further and further into the earth, but finally, they spotted a big arch opening into a massive room with some kind of pedestal in the middle.  
“Seems like we’re here!”  
Adora grabbed Catra’s hand and rushed towards the pedestal, placing a hand on it.  
“Eternia”  
The room began shaking as the group approached the center. And suddenly, from the pedestal, a highly disfigured hologram sprung screaming and sending chills all over their backs. Bow jumped into Glimmer’s arms, Scorpia raised her pincers, Catra’s tail got puffy and Adora almost fell on her butt.  
“Yup. It seems this one is broken. It shouldn’t scream like that…should it?”  
Bow booped Glimmer’s nose and got down, walking towards the pedestal and kneeling before it, taking his analyzer pad.  
“It seems like there’s some kind of power outage around here. I reckon I could track it easily. Juuuust…this way!”  
Bow walked towards a door at the other side of the room and opened it. An automatic turret whirred into life and aimed at him immediately. With a fast kick, Bow closed the door again and looked at the group with a drop of sweat running down his forehead and a big smile.  
“Okay, definitely not that way. It’s…this way!”  
Catra sighed annoyed and walked towards one of the walls, dragging her hand through the plain metal paneling. After a few steps, she found what appeared to be some kind of slot in the wall”  
“Hey, genius. I think I found something! And there’s a pretty big sword icon drawn under the slot, so I’m guessing maybe your sword goes here, Adora?”  
Adora nods and runs towards the wall, patting Catra on the back as she passes her. Scorpia smiles and nods at Catra, making a thumbs up with her pincers.  
“Good job, kitty”  
Bow put his tracker pad inside his bag and looked at Glimmer with a plain stare.  
“I could have found that too”  
Glimmer chuckles and takes his hand, kissing him on the cheek.  
“I’m sure you would, love”  
Adora sighed and with a hand gesture, the sword materialized in her hand, placing it then on the slot in the wall.  
This time, the whole room came to life as lights and panels began lighting all around it. The pedestal in the center began pulsating with energy and suddenly, a massive holographic map began expanding through the room, with a big orb glowing right atop the pedestal.  
“That’s…Etheria! This looks like a map! A galactic map!”  
Adora ran towards the pedestal excitedly, followed by Glimmer  
“Yess! This is EXACTLY what we had been looking for. With this map we can begin visiting other planets right away!”  
Glimmer began teleporting around the room, looking at different planets and stars around. When the map finally settled in, a default First One’s hologram appeared in front of the pedestal.  
[Interdimensional Depot: Reinitialized. Sensor Array: Nominal. Star Vessels on range: One. Portal Capacity: Deactivated. Interdimensional Contention Agent: Nominal]  
Adora whistled in awe and walked towards the hologram, tilting her head.  
[Administrator She-Ra: Detected. What’s your query?]  
Adora looked at Catra and smiled.  
“It seems like it’s working alright. Ummm… What does this place do exactly?”  
The hologram flickers a bit and answers.  
[The interdimensional depot serves as both a hangar bay for ships, a map room and a dimensional gateway]  
Adora frowned.  
“Wait, what was that about dimensional gateways?”  
The hologram flickered again.  
[This facility holds the power to infuse a Ship’s Matrix with the power of Quantum Interdimensional Travel]  
Glimmer and Bow jumped excitedly.  
“Wait wait wait… So not only can we use the map to travel the galaxy? We can move through dimensions too? THAT’S SO COOL”  
The hologram shook its hand  
[Negative. Portal Capacity: Deactivated. Interdimensional Contention Agent: Nominal]  
Scorpia pondered for a second and asked:  
“So… If this… Interdimensional contention thingy person is deactivated, the ship could travel to dimensions maybe?”  
The hologram nodded  
[Affirmative. Does administrator wish to open a comm link to Interdimensional Contention Agent?]  
Adora nodded  
“Yes, please”  
The room began shaking a bit and a hole in the wall suddenly began emitting a very bright ray of light against the pedestal. Another figure began materializing next to the First One’s hologram. A figure Catra and Scorpia had already seen earlier.  
[Comm Link Status: Partial. Coordinate input: SYNTAX ERROR]  
Adora and Bow’s eyes widened as they stared at the holographic figure in front of them. Glimmer fell to her knees in complete shock.  
“M…mom?”


	5. Emergency Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days after the Interdimensional Depot's discovery, Glimmer summons an emergency council back in Bright Moon to discuss the new turn of events

The meeting room was livelier than usual as everyone gathered finally. Glimmer’s face was devoid of all emotions, as she sat on the Queen’s Throne, waiting for the meeting to begin.  
All princesses and prominent figures of Etheria had been summoned in an emergency session two days after the discovery in the Interdimensional Depot, but no one seemed to be worried except for those present at the depot.  
Spinnerella and Netossa talked cheerfully on a corner, Frosta was busy chasing Micah around the meeting room with frost punch intentions and Scorpia sat next to Perfuma, as they both blushed in a kind of cute silence.  
Only Entrapta and Hordak remained sat at their posts. But Glimmer doubted it was seriousness as much as unbridled excitement about news of the Depot’s Discovery.  
“Right, everyone, please, take your seats. We are wasting precious time right now. Oh, and does anyone know when will Merm…”  
An explosion right outside by the river and two columns of smoke coming from two crashed ships confirmed her suspicions.  
“Nevermind. They’re here”  
A general chuckle crossed the room as both Sea Hawk and Mermista entered the room, full of scorch marks and took their seats. Glimmer sighed and placed her hands under her nose, trying to calm down and force a smile on their face.  
“Okay, everyone, thank you for coming. As you are all aware, you have been summoned after the recent discovery of another First One’s ruin. And I’m not gonna lie. I’m worried”  
Micah smiled and raised his hand  
“Hi worried! I’m dad!”  
Castaspella slapped him on the back of the head and nodded towards Glimmer.  
“Umm…Thank you. As I was saying, our team discovered a new ruin in the Whispering Woods two days ago. According to the AI on the site, the place is called the Interdimensional Depot. And as we could understand, it serves as a First One’s hangar, intergalactic map and interdimensional travelling hub.”  
“WHAAAAAT?”  
Entrapta jumped from her chair and looked at Glimmer with sparkly eyes. Adora stood up and looked at them, nodding.  
“As Glimmer says, the AI told us that with that depot’s help, we could infuse Darla’s Matrix with some kind of technology called “Quantum Interdimensional Travel”  
Entrapta gasped in a dramatical manner.  
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? THAT’S AAAAWESOOOOOME. But what are the implications? Quantum Interdimensional Travel would allow the ship to tear the space-time continuum. The fabric of reality could be bent using the matrix in a way that could allow us NOT ONLY instant travel throughout all of the entire universe, but the travel through different dimensions and realities too. Can you imagine? There could even be a dimension where all food is tiny and BIG FOOD IS FROWNED UPON. I’M SO READ…”  
Hordak placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
“Entrapta, I believe the queen is not finished yet. Let us hear what else she has to say”  
Glimmer’s annoyed face confirmed Hordak’s words and Entrapta sat down, blushing a bit  
“Sahrryy”  
Glimmer shook her head and sighed.  
“As we were saying, this discovery is both amazing and groundbreaking. But there was…something else. Bow?... Please”  
Bow stood up and walked towards a wall, pressing a button. A projector crackled into life and a picture of Angella’s Hologram floated in the middle of the room. Everyone gasped, and Micah slowly stood up, all traces of amusement drained from his face.  
“This is what we discovered. Mo…Queen Angella might still be alive”  
Micah shook his head in denial.  
“No, it can’t be. But the portal…You said she sacrificed herself to close the portal”  
Adora stood up once again and walked towards him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
“And she did, King Micah. But she didn’t die. I spent some time interrogating the AI in the depot and I think we have some idea of what really went down in there. Everyone please, sit down. We will proceed to explain”  
The muttering stopped and everyone silently returned to their seats. Glimmer walked and stood next to Adora.  
“We must go back to the portal incident, where this all began”  
Both Hordak and Catra lowered their heads a bit, trying to look smaller at the mention of the portal.  
“We know that Mara, the previous She-Ra, sent Etheria to Despondos in the past to avoid the Heart of Etheria project from being used. Thus, Etheria laid on a starless dimension for centuries, until Catra and Hordak opened the portal”  
A bit of resentment could be felt on Glimmer’s words as she spoke. Adora walked to Catra and took her hand gently and reassuringly. Entrapta poked Hordak with her hair playfully.  
“We have reason to believe that the Portal’s failure was caused by both the planet’s late location and a catastrophic design flaw. The planet’s location is no longer a problem, but we might have discovered the flaw in that depot. Bow?”  
Bow nodded and passed to the next image. An image of Etheria, covered by a lot of glowing lines.  
“As we are all aware, Entrapta and Hordak made an amazing and quite terrifying technological contraption that could support a portal’s entrance. And they thought it would be enough to hold it open for enough time. But they forgot about something. Etheria has always been protected by princesses. And each princess holds the power of a gemstone.”  
Hordak tilted his head a bit and Entrapta pondered at her words.  
“These gemstones are one of the main sources of magical power here in Etheria. And they are interconnected with each other, forming pathways also known as leylines. After speaking with the AI, we discovered that the portal needed two main components. A source of energy to power up the mainframe… and a source of magic to stabilize the interdimensional tear. An…Interdimensional Contention Agent, as the AI calls it”  
Entrapta gasped and took out her pad, beginning to make calculations.  
“That makes SO MUCH SENSE”  
Glimmer nodded and continued.  
“As the portal opened, the mainframe and the electrical current accomplished their objectives flawlessly. But the lack of a contention agent began breaking the… How did you call it Entrapta?”  
Entrapta jumped.  
“THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM”  
Glimmer sighed.  
“Yes, that.”  
Micah stood up with a grave expression.  
“Where do you want to get with this information, Glimmer?”  
Adora stood up once again and walked towards Glimmer, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling.  
“King Micah, we cross-referenced data on the Depot’s map and found something interesting. There is a massive convergence of leylines somewhere on Etheria. Well…not somewhere. We know where”  
Adora smiles and points to a spot in the map image.  
“Mystacor”  
Micah nodded and crossed his arms  
“Well, I suspected as much. Mystacor holds a lot of magical potential for casters. That’s why the Kingdom was built in there. What does it have to do with Angella, though?”  
For the first time, Glimmer smiled and looked at Adora.  
“The First Ones predicted that such a catastrophe as a portal instability could occur. And they installed technological countermeasures in Etheria. We are pretty sure that as the portal began imploding, those countermeasures activated and turned She-Ra’s sword into a last line of defense in the interdimensional instability. Later, as Adora and mom reached the place, we thought mom sacrificed herself. But that’s not necessarily true.”  
Mermista whined and banged her head on the table.  
“Uuuugh can you please stop with the mystery and get on with it? This is worse than Mer-Mystery: Dimensional Boogaloo”  
Adora nodded and adopted an epic pose.  
“Okay. Here it goes. Not only is Angella most likely still alive. We believe that with Entrapta and Hordak’s technological prowess and all of our magical abilities combined to stabilize it, we could open a controlled portal in Mystacor and send a rescue squad to get Queen Angella!”  
Entrapta looked at her as a smile began forming on her face.  
“…W…W…W……………WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?”


	6. Interlude

Adora found herself hanging from that ledge in the Crystal Palace again. Catra stood above her, looking at her. Not with the superiority grin she remembered, but a blank stare devoid of all emotions.

"CATRA PLEASE STAY. PLEASE."

Desperation filtered through her voice. She hoped Catra would lift her up. Damn, she even hoped Catra would hit her hand with the sword again and stared as she fell into the abyss. But no. Catra didn't do any of that. She just stared blankly and turned around. Those words she dreaded reached her ears.

"You don't need me. You never did"

Catra walked away as Adora screamed and cried as hard as she could. And with the word "Stay" seared in her throat, she finally woke up, covered in cold sweat.

Moonlight filtered through the silky stelar courtains of Mystacor, and the gentle whoosh of Mana Rays could be heard outside. Adora tried to control her breathing and shifted a bit uncomfortably, but all her anxiety dimmed as she felt a little purring responding to her movement. Catra was right there, curled up in a little spoon against her chest.

With a shaky sigh, Adora hugged her gently and rested her chin softly against her shoulder. Catra shifted a bit and slowly opened her eyes, turning her head and smiling shyly as she saw Adora looking at her.

"Hey Adora"

Without waiting for a response, Catra leaned softly and kissed her lips, following up with a big yawn. Adora stood silent and hugged her even more tightly. She noticed her silence and turned around, laying in bed and looking at her almost powerless expression.

"You had a nightmare again, didn't you?"

Adora nodded and looked away.

"It's always the same nightmare. But they're just that. Nightmares. I shouldn't let them affect me this w..."

Catra placed a finger on her lips and smiled, getting closer to her. Adora could feel her tail caressing her leg gently.

"Hush now. You don't have to say it. It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Adora felt her fears recede and warmth coursing inside her as she heard those words. She caressed her cheek and smiled, closing her eyes

"I love you"

Catra's purr was answer enough, as they bothdrifted back to sleep.


	7. Old Acquaintances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Catra receive an early knock on their door. Who might it be?

A knock on the door woke them up a couple hours later. Adora slowly rose up and yawned, stretching all the way. Catra whined and covered her head with a pillow

"Yeeeesh?"

Adora yawned again and walked to the door, opening it gently.

"Good morning to you, miss Adora! I hope you both have a good night's sleep"

Adora tilted her head and smiled, letting him in.

"Good morning, Wrong Hordak"

Catra got out of bed and stretched too, looking towards the door and waving.

"Morning... Actually, shouldn't you...you know, get a new name or something? Am I the only one that finds your name kind of... sad?

Wrong Hordak shook his head energetically and raised a finger.

"Why should it be sad? Lady Entrapta gave it to me after I discovered the Great Liar's lies! It's a wonderful name!"

Catra shrugged and headed towards the wardrobe. Adora smiled and looked at him.

"So, what is it? Did something happen?"

Wrong Hordak winked and signalled towards the courtyard, whispering so only she could hear it.

"You asked me to come see you as soon as the "special guests" arrived, remember?"

Adora's eyes widened and she smiled excited.

"They're here? Awesome! Please, go welcome them properly. We'll be there shortly"

Wrong Hordak made a fabulous bow and started humming as he walked away cheerfully. Adora closed the door and walked towards Catra.

"Hey, love. Remember I told you yesterday we had an appointment? Well, it seems like they arrived. We should get ready"

Catra sighed annoyed and opened the wardrobe, ready to change. A little chill went down her back as she noticed Adora's eyes were fixed on her with a roguish smile.

"What? Are you gonna stare while I change, you perv?"

Adora chuckled and turned around, heading for her wardrobe.

"Nuh-uh. Just wondering if you would dress on that cape and those awesome boots of yours"

Catra was going to refuse when she saw those god damn puppy eyes of hers directly fixed at her.

"Uuuugh okay. But only because they are comfy. Not because you asked"

Adora chuckled goofily and opened her wardrobe, getting ready to dress herself too. A couple of minutes later, they both exit the room holding hands and headed towards the courtyard. Wrong Hordak was waiting next the entrance of a small meeting room, playing with a small kitten. As he saw them, he stood up and waved, signalling them over towards the room. Adora sighed.

"Okay, Catra. Whatever happens, please don't kill me"

Catra frowned and looked at her.

"Adora...What have you gotten me into."

Adora chuckles and shrughs, walking towards the door. Catra followed her with a suspicious look on her eye. As they both reached the door, Wrong Hordak opened it, and three people came out. Three people Catra had not been expecting at all. Her ears lowered noticeably and a knot formed on her stomach.

"Well, well, well. We see each other again, Force Captain"

Rogelio, Lonnie and Kyle smiled gently as they came out of the meeting room. Adora stepped to the side next to Wrong Hordak and let them meet again. Catra answered shyly.

"Hey, guys... I... I didn't expect to meet you here. I didn't know anything about you since you left."

Lonnie took a step forwards, looking at Catra.

"Well, it was a surprise for us too. We've been helping rebuild in a village nearby. Swift Wind told us you were coming a couple of days ago, so we thought we might...you know...meet and catch up"

Catra didn't know what to say. They probably hated her. She had been awful with them. And with Scorpia. She had been awful with everyone on her power-hungry quest. She sighed though and mustered all her courage to speak.

"Guys... I know this probably won't cover for all I said and did, but I'm sorry. I was an absolute trash towards you back in the Horde. And I never even worried to think about how you felt. It's totally understandable that you left the Horde. I..."

Rogelio interrupted her and Lonnie nodded.

"Rogelio is right. You don't have to apologize to us. Back when Adora left the horde, I gave you a hard time too. We've all done things we regret in the past. But hey... We're here now, aren't we? An opportunity to start anew. After all, we used to be in the same unit. Why not go back to those days?"

Lonnie smiled and offered her hand. Tears welled Catra's eyes once again and she accepted her hand, as the four of them laughed and fused on a group hug.

Wrong Hordak jumped happily on the spot and Adora smiled too. But she was surprised as the four of them turned to her.

"This includes you too, Adora. You are an awful Force Captain and abandoned us all. And you even beat the crap out of all of us too a couple of times. But damn, aren't we all glad you did"

Adora smiled and joined the group hug too.

"Well, I guess that's true too. Look at us. The old squad back in ac..."

She was interrupted by a joyful scream and heavy thumping on the floor.

"NonononoNONONONO...Ack!"

They all were tackled to the ground by a crying Scorpia that appeared out of nowhere. The group laughed for a while and engaged in some smalltalk, as Adora grabbed Catra's hand, looking at her lovingly. Catra smiled back.

"Thank you, Adora. I kind of needed this"

Adora kissed her and helped her stand up, only to realize four cheeky stares looking directly at them both. Lonnie spoke first:

"So, you two finally got together, huh? About time jeez. Took you long enough"

Catra and Adora looked at each other with a puzzled look.

"What?"

Kyle intervened, scratching his head.

"What do you mean what? You two liking each other was the worst kept secret in all of the fright zone. We even made bets about when would you confess to each ot"

Lonnie hit Kyle gently on the head.

"Shut up Kyle"

Catra and Adora blushed deeply as everyone present laughed. It was only the start of a wonderful day of catching up for them all.


	8. Hypothesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora goes to check on Entrapta and Hordak as they work on the new portal in Mystacor

The days went by as everyone took a well-deserved rest. Everyone except Entrapta and Hordak. As soon as the portal was mentioned back in the emergency council, they had began planning on how to build it immediately. And as soon as they reached Mystacor, they disappeared into the courtyard designated as the spot for it.  
Adora was a little worried, actually. She could very well imagine Entrapta overworking herself until exhaustion, so she decided to take a little stroll to the courtyard and see how the progress was being made.  
Catra was out with Scorpia playing with Melog and Bow and Glimmer were busy discussing royal matters with Micah, so she had some time on her own. A neigh above her pulled her out of her own mind as Swift Wind flew towards her, landing majestically.  
“Swift Wind! How’s it going”  
The horse nudged Adora’s cheek playfully and laid on his belly.  
“Hello, Adora! I have come swiftly at the behest of Princess Entrapta. They seem to have finished the portal mainframe already, but she conveyed that a problem has arisen. She requested your presence iiiimmediately! So, hop on! I’ll fly you to them”  
Adora mounted on Swift Wind with a surprised expression on her face.  
“I knew they wouldn’t take long being the most brilliant tech minds on Etheria, but even like that I’m still surprised.”  
Swift Wind took off and flew at full speed towards a little floating island close by. As they got close, Adora could see a massive circular contraption rising from the ground. Emily, as well as a dozen smaller robots seemed to be welding and working on the contraption. But she couldn’t see Entrapta or Hordak around.   
The horse finally landed and laid again so Adora could dismount. After a few playful pats on the head, she headed towards the only building in the island. A small hut made out of random pieces of metal that she imagined would be Entrapta’s command room.   
She was about to knock when the sounds of struggle and metal parts falling to the ground came from inside. Feeling a knot in her stomach, she barged in looking for the source.  
“Entrapta? Hordak? Are you al…”  
They were alright indeed, though they broke the kiss they were fused into as soon as Adora appeared. Entrapta blushed deeply and Hordak cleared his throat annoyedly.  
“Oh! Ooooh! Eeehrm. I’m sorry. I thought maybe you two were in trouble. Uuuh… Yeah. I…I’ll wait outside. Sorry”  
Adora ran outside blushing, with her heart pounding on her chest out of shame. Inside the tent, both Entrapta and Hordak bursted into laughter.  
“I’m actually surprised you didn’t immediately yell for her to GET OUT, Hordak. You’re losing your touch”  
Hordak blushed once again and kissed her gently.  
“It’s kind of our fault too. This is not the most private of spots, as Adora has already made clear. We better go fill her on the progress. We’ll have plenty of time for each other later”  
Entrapta booped his nose and got up, moving fast thanks to her ponytails. She rushed outside and called Adora, without even waiting for her to say anything.  
“Adoraaaa. Come! Come! I trust Swift Wind has already told you about the portal being finished? We’ve outdone ourselves. Between Hordak’s technique while manipulating tools and the help of my tiny robots, we’ve made record time!”  
Adora looked at Hordak as he shrugged and followed Entrapta, still blushing a bit.  
“Oh! Yeah, I’m actually impressed. Didn’t think you two would manage to get it built this fast”  
Entrapta jumped excitedly as she walked.  
“Well, it was fairly easy. We still had the blueprint of the first portal in our heads. All we had to do was improve on its design, correct all the remaining flaws and add the channeling conduits for the leyline and gemstone’s magical flow. We still found a problem though. But we need you to prove the hypothesis”  
Entrapta led Adora towards a strange looking pad and signalled for her to step into it.  
“Those are the spots for all the princesses. As soon as you activate your powers in there, the little thingy above you will collect all excess magic and feed it to the portal stabilizer”  
Entrapta headed for a control panel and pressed a few buttons and switches. The portal whirred into life and the outer metal rods that formed the mainframe started spinning. Adora looked at it a little worried.  
“Ummm…Should you activate it already? I mean… Last time the portal was activated…you know. Disaster”  
Entrapta shook her head as she pressed more buttons.  
“Don’t worry. I’m only activating the main data translators, not the portal itself. Oh! And I actually need you to summon that sword thingy of yours and touch the pyramid-looking thingy in front of you with it!”  
Adora tilted her head a bit and nodded, summoning the sword and placing the tip against a pyramid shaped contraption in front of her. As soon as they made contact, a dim spark crackled and Adora noticed how the pad she was standing on lighted up with an intermittent rainbow-colored glow.  
Entrapta put her mask on and started reading all the data as soon as the pad lighted up. Two minutes later, she sighed and turned off the machine, heading towards Adora.  
“Okay, good news and bad news. The good news first: the machine’s initial test has been an absolute success. It seems like the magical syphons are working as expected. As for the bad news… There’s only empty space on the other side of the portal. If the readings are correct, I believe as soon as we open it, it will create a gateway back into starless Despondos.”  
Adora frowned and looked at Entrapta.  
“What? But… we can’t just warp into space and search around for Queen Angella in just our spacesuits! And that portal is not nearly big enough for Darla to fly through!”  
Hordak walked towards them and looked at the portal, pondering.  
“There might be…another way, though.”  
Entrapta and Adora looked at him with curiosity.  
“As you might recall, we installed a new and improved personality matrix into the First One’s Ship…Darla. And the interdimensional depot hologram told you that the depot can imbue the ship’s matrix with the possibility of Quantum Interdimensional Travel. Now again, that ability is blocked by the contention agent.”  
Entrapta widened her eyes as she began to understand where Hordak was trying to get. But instead of saying anything, she just let him speak, blushing a bit and thinking about how much she admired him. Wasn’t the case for Adora, that just looked at him as smoke started going out of her ears due to mental process overload. Hordak continued.  
“What I’m trying to convey is… A portal usually swallows the matter that goes through it. But with a few minor adjustments, that ability to suck in would turn into the ability of spitting out. In simple terms, we would create a Quantum Flux Channeller that when powered up could direct that flow of energy into Darla, positively granting it the ability to activate it’s Quantum Computational Systems and allowing you to make a warp jump into Despondos, at the same coordinates the portal conveys”  
Entrapta’s eyes were sparkling so much in excitement that they almost emitted light on their own. Adora was at the verge of a mental breakdown.  
“There’s a problem though. You would have only one jump. As soon as you reached Despondos, you’d have to search for Queen Angella and break the Contention Field in order for the ship to regain its capability of warping. And in order for you to…return home. It will be dangerous”  
Adora went serious for a moment and sighed, understanding that last part.  
“We’ll have to limit the search party to the minimum necessary people then. We can’t risk getting all lost in Despondos. I… I’ll talk with the others and explain the situation. Great job you two. You never fail to impress”  
Adora smiled at them, but the unease on her eyes was very noticeable. After a few quick goodbyes, Adora walked back towards Swift Wind, but she was stopped by Hordak half way.  
“Yes? Is something wrong, Hordak?”  
He looked at the ground for a moment, a bit unsure, but finally spoke.  
“Adora… Do you remember back when you were a captive in the Fright Zone? I…ummm… Entrapta has been working on fully recovering the memories Horde Prime took from me. And I’ve… remembered some things. I said that I wouldn’t remember anything about you. But I…do. It’s a bit hazy. But I remember when I brought you through the portal. And I remember that I thought you to be… useless. It was Shadow Weaver who convinced me to keep you and raise you as a Horde Soldier, and…”  
Hordak tried to choose his words carefully as he realized a hint of pain in Adora’s eyes.  
“Well, I can’t change the past. And I know no apology that I ever convey will be enough to cover all the suffering I inflicted upon Etheria and upon you. But I wanted to say sorry anyways. And I wanted to say that I’m actually glad you defeated Horde Prime and liberated all of us. I was a fool. And I don’t deserve any of this. But thanks to you, I’ve known happiness for the first time in my life. That’s…all I wanted to say”  
Adora sighed and smiled. He was right. There were a lot of things that just couldn’t be forgiven that easily. But he was trying to fix bit by bit all the pain he had inflicted. And that alone, was enough for her. She gently punched him in the arm and nodded.  
“Thank you, Hordak. It’s good to know. Now, don’t keep Entrapta waiting. I think you both were in the middle of something before I interrupted”  
Hordak blushed and cleared his throat, but he managed to smile a bit while waving goodbye. Adora turned around and mounted on Swift Wind. It was time for the Best Friend Quad to prepare for another adventure.


	9. Overclocked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time finally comes. Glimmer and the team get ready to depart on a mission to rescue her mother.

It only took two days for Entrapta and Hordak to tweak the portal and for the others to assemble. Spirits were high and everyone was enjoying their stay at Mystacor, but there was an underlying unease in the air.  
Adora had briefed the rest about the new change of plans, and even though King Micah and Castaspella opposed it, the Council’s vote favoured the plan with a majority. The team would be composed by Adora, Catra, Bow and Glimmer exclusively. A small team despite their key importance due to rank.   
Glimmer walked out of her room lost in her own thoughts. She didn’t know how to feel. Her mother was alive, though stranded in a portal-locked dimension. Should she be excited? Should she be happy? Should she be scared? She was neither of them. She only felt a massive knot of worry on her stomach and the focus on the task ahead. The time had finally come. The others were on their way to the Portal’s courtyard.  
As she walked, two figures called her by name and ran towards her. Glimmer turned around with a hint of pain in her eyes. King Micah and Aunt Casta were there. And the uneasy looks on their faces told Glimmer exactly how they felt. King Micah spoke first:  
“So… You are really going then, aren’t you? There’s no way we can convince you to reconsider”  
Glimmer shook her head and looked towards the ground and spoke softly without making eye contact  
“Dad, I thought you of all people would like to see mom again”   
King Micah knelt and hugged her.  
“Of course I want to see Angella again, Glimmer. More than anything in this world. But… I’m afraid. I don’t want to lose my precious baby girl in the process” His voice cracked a bit as he spoke.   
“Glimmer, you must understand our worries. You are going to embark on a quest that could end with you four stranded in space with no way of coming back home. Despondos is massive. There’s no guarantee you’ll find Angella soon if at all” Castaspella looked at her with a sad smile.  
Glimmer hugged her dad back and sighed.  
“I know, aunt Casta. I’m scared myself. But mom sacrificed herself to save all of us. And now, I have the chance to rescue her and bring her back. Every part of my body is screaming against this. But this is what I must do” She looked at Micah and smiled   
“Besides, I have Bow, Adora and Catra by my side. We’ll manage. We always do. Now… Will you come with me? We’re leaving soon” Glimmer sighed and took Micah’s hand. He nodded and smiled, sharing a proud look with Castaspella.  
“Lead the way then. We shouldn’t keep the others waiting” Micah said as he took Castaspella’s hand. Glimmer smiled and closed her eyes. And in a matter of seconds, they were all standing in the courtyard, in front of the portal.  
Bow rushed to her side as soon as she appeared, bowing to King Micah and kissing Glimmer timidly.  
“Preparations are almost complete, Glimmer. Adora landed Darla just in front of the portal as Entrapta said. And Hordak is making some last-minute checks on the equipment. Apparently, when doing tests, Frosta punched one of the stabilizers so hard she rendered the magic siphon offline. But Entrapta says it’ll be fine. Mermista, Scorpia, Frosta and Perfuma are on their spots already, waiting for the signal. And we’ve received word from Huntara that the Casters are already in the main hall, channeling the leyline’s energy. So…all in all, we’re good to go. Adora and Catra are already waiting inside the ship” Bow spoke so fast he ended up panting. He was both excited and nervous. That much was obvious. Glimmer chuckled and rested her head against his shoulder, lovingly.  
“Well, we better not keep them waiting them” Glimmer said as she walked and hugged her father and her aunt once again. Goodbyes were fast, as Entrapta started screaming that the portal was ready. Glimmer took Bow’s hand and teleported inside the ship. Adora was already sitting on the captain’s chair, reviewing some info with Darla. Catra noticed them and walked towards them, handing them two communicators.  
“Good to see you lovebirds. We were beginning to wonder if you would come. Here, take this and put them on your ears. We’ll be leaving in five” Catra winked at Glimmer and turned around, walking towards an empty chair next to Adora and sitting down.   
The two of them put the communicator on their ears and were immediately greeted by Entrapta’s high-pitched screams of pure excitement.  
“GOOD. YOU ARE ALREADY THERE. TIME TO POWER THIS LITTLE BEAUTY UP. HORDAK. THROW THE MAIN SWITCHES AND INCREASE THE POWER FLOW”   
Glimmer buckled up and sighed, looking outside. The portal had been changed a bit. Now, instead of a circular mainframe, there were 5 concentrical mainframes spanning forwards towards the ship. It almost looked like some kind of weapon. Hordak’s manufacture for sure. And as soon as Entrapta finished talking, all the circles lighted up and started spinning with a strong crimson color. Entrapta talked once again.  
“GOOD. STAGE 1 SUCCESFUL. HUNTARA, TELL THE CASTERS TO REDIRECT THE MAGICAL FLOW TOWARDS THE PORTAL”  
Huntara could be heard barking orders over the intercom as the portal’s mainframe began spinning faster and faster. A line of pure white suddenly rushed out of the main hall in the distance and impacted directly against a receiver in one of the sides of the portal. As soon as the ray of light reached it, the portal’s crimson colour started getting some waves of green on it.   
Glimmer looked at Bow sitting next to her with a worried look. He smiled and took her hand lovingly, speaking in a soothing tone.  
“Don’t worry, Glimmer. It’ll be alright.”  
Glimmer nodded and looked outside once again. The portal’s mainframe was beginning to spin so fast she could hear the air buzzing from inside the cockpit. Entrapta talked again.  
“STAGE 2 IS A GO. POWER READINGS NOMINAL. PRINCESSES, TIME FOR YOU TO CHANNEL THE GEMSTONES ENERGY. AND FROSTA. NO! PUNCHING!”  
Catra, Adora and Bow chuckled as they heard Frosta’s grumbling in the intercom. As the princesses activated their gemstone powers in the receivers, Adora herself stood up and sighed, raising her hand.  
“For the honor of Grayskull!”  
The ship’s interior was filled with a blinding white radiance as Adora transformed into She-Ra. Bow snickered amused as he saw Catra almost drooling while looking at her. As soon as the transformation ended, She-Ra channeled the other princesses’ energy and began glowing with a strong rainbow-colored halo. This time, the portal’s mainframe made a low whirring sound and started spinning full velocity. It’s crimson and green colors turned to match She-Ra’s rainbow glow as a massive spike of energy was unleashed. Everyone on a 50 meters radius could feel how the hair on their body rose up, and static crackled in the air. Entrapta screamed excitedly.  
“STAGE 3 IS A SUCCESS. FLUX CHANNELER AT 100% CAPACITY. DARLA, ACTIVATE THE QUANTUM FLUX SIPHON. THERE’S A YUMMY POWER SURGE COMING YOUR WAY. AS FOR THE OTHERS, SIT DOWN AND BUCKLE UP. THIS IS GONNA BE… BUMPY”  
Adora turned back to herself, much to Catra’s disappointment and sat down. The four of them buckled up and Adora turned around, with a reassuring smile on her face. She spoke high, as the whirring sound of the portal was deafening.  
“This is it! The best friend quad back in action! We’ll rescue your mom, Glimmer. You have my word!”  
Glimmer was about to answer when all of a sudden, the deafening portal sound stopped. Silence filled the air until Darla broke it.  
[Quantum siphon: Primed. Ready to receive]  
A massive burst of energy made impact against the ship. The four inside were instantly blinded by the light and had to cover their eyes, as the world around them shook with a force equal to the worst of eartquakes. It ended as soon as it started though, and silence filled the air again.  
Outside of the ship, the portal crackled and powered off. Some parts of the mainframe came apart, completely destroyed by the massive burst. Entrapta ran over towards Hordak. Micah, Castaspella and all of the princesses joined them on the platform, with a worried look on their faces. Micah spoke first.  
“What happened? Why is the ship not moving? Are they alright?”  
Entrapta touched her intercom and spoke softly.  
“I don’t know. I don’t receive any communications from inside the ship. I don’t understand. The calculations were solid. Wha…”  
The ship trembled suddenly and over the intercoms, Darla’s voice could be heard.  
[System reinitialized. Quantum Interdimensional Travel matrix: Overcloked. Coordinates: green. Preparing for jump]  
Entrapta jumped excitedly and everyone cheered as they heard the voices of their friends inside the ship. Catra spoke first.  
“Entrapta, I knew I shouldn’t have allowed Hordak to speak so enthusiastically about massive weapons to you. That was… awful. And fun. Kinda fun”  
Everyone outside the ship laughed and cheered, as the ship took of the ground and started charging energy.   
“Here’s captain Adora speaking. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to say that. Uh… Okay. So… looks like everything is ready. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine and we’ll bring Queen Angella back!”  
King Micah looked at the ship and sighed, smiling. Castaspella placed a hand on his shoulder as he spoke.  
“Go, baby girl. I’m so proud of you”  
Inside the ship, Glimmer gripped her shirt and tried to contain the tears. Her voice cracked a bit as she spoke.  
“I know, dad. I love y…”  
The transmission broke as suddenly, without any noises, the ship vanished into thin air. Silence fell over both the courtyard and the ship. A silence of unease in the courtyard. The silence of the void over the ship, as pure blackness engulfed it all around.


	10. Spacewalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Best Friend Quad course through the starless dimension in search of Angella's location.

Darla coursed silently through the empty void that was Despondos. Only darkness surrounded the ship, and it was starting to get into Catra’s head. She curled up next to the window and blew some breath against the crystal, fogging it and drawing lines with her fingers.   
Bow and Glimmer had gone to one of the crew quarters to get some sleep. And Adora was sitting at the captain’s chair, piloting Darla. It had been almost 12 hours since they warped into Despondos, and so far, they had found absolutely nothing. They were absolutely lost in the vast expanse of the empty dimension, without any kind of guide except for Darla’s sensors.  
Adora sighed and looked at Catra, noticing her worried expression. Without saying anything, she stood up and walked towards her, sitting on the ground and hugging her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. Catra gave her a timid smile and leaned on her, closing her eyes.  
“Are you alright, Catra? You seem…uneasy to say the least” Adora said, gently caressing her arm. Catra shrugged lightly and replied in a soft tone.  
“We happen to be stranded and lost in an empty dimension looking for someone we have no clue how to reach. It’s actually a pretty good reason to be uneasy, isn’t it?”  
Adora smiled and shook her head.  
“Yeah. It is. But if I know you, that’s not the only reason. You’ve been a bit gloomy since we came back from the depot. You know you can speak to me.”  
As Adora spoke, Catra’s expression hardened for a second, as if she was going to snap at her. But it didn’t last long, as she sighed and looked at Adora with defeated eyes.  
“…I don’t like talking about it. I’m scared, yes. But I can’t allow that fear to jeopardize the mission”  
Adora didn’t reply. Instead, she looked at her intensely, almost demanding an answer. Catra blushed as their eyes met and looked to the ground, finally replying.  
“Okaay. Don’t look at me like that. It’s just… I’m scared you know. Back in that depot I relived once again the times I… the times I hurt you. The times my stupid pride led me to fail you. And I’m…scared about this. I know we are used to dangerous missions like this. But… I’m afraid of losing you. I’m afraid of you pulling one of your stupid hero sacrifice moments and leaving me. And I feel like I don’t deserve you. Not after everything I did. I’m confused. All my life, I’ve been used and dumped once again. Like a toy. Everytime I try to make something of myself, I end up messing it up. I end up hurting people. And I’m afraid of hurting you again. Afraid of losing… all of this”  
Adora’s face darkened a bit as Catra spoke. She wanted to reply, but she felt like words wouldn’t cut it in this kind of situation. Instead, she just hugged Catra even tighter. This time, it was Catra who could feel her trembling a bit behind her.   
“I…I’m sorry. I’m just overthinking. That’s all.” Catra said looking at the ceiling. Adora shook her head lightly and answered.  
“I’m afraid of losing you too, you know? Back in Bright Moon, when Shadow Weaver said those things and you left with Melog… I could feel the world falling apart around me. I lost all the conviction I had on myself. Yes, you hurt me. And I hurt you back. I was blind and I ignored your feelings for so long like an idiot. But I’m trying to make up for it. And I know words are not enough. But I promise that I’m not going anywhere nor sacrificing anything. Back then, I had nothing to lose. Now… I’d lose everything. And I’m not going to make you suffer that. I promise.”  
Catra listened as Adora spoke and a lot of emotions coursed through her body. As soon as she finished speaking, Catra lunged on her and fell on top of her as both of them rolled through the polished floor of the ship. Catra chuckled and cleaned a tear off Adora’s cheek with her finger.  
“Look at us. We’re becoming crybabies” She said, and kissed Adora gently. Adora kissed her back and smiled. She opened her mouth to answer, but Catra pressed a finger against her lips, speaking softly.  
“I know. You don’t have to say anything. I believe you. I know you won’t leave. And I promise you I won’t either…. not like we could actually leave right now. Space and stuff”  
[There’s an empty cabin in the back. Get a room] Darla interrupted them suddenly.   
They both looked at each other with a surprised expression and bursted laughing for a solid 5 minutes before finally managing to take a breath. A door opened behind them and a sleepy looking Glimmer peeked, speaking with a drowsy tone.  
“Guys, could you keep it down? Bow is asleep. You’re gonna wake him up”  
Adora laughed even harder and shushed at Catra, that laughed and shushed back.  
“Awww. Look at her. All worried about Bow getting enough sleep. Such a thoughtful girlfriend”  
Glimmer blushed with an annoyed expression as Adora messed with her. She was about to reply when the whole ship suddenly slammed against something. The three of them fell to the ground abruptly, and a broken voiced scream could be heard from one of the rooms. Adora got up as fast as she could and ran towards the captain’s chair, sitting down and activating the data panels.  
“Darla, what did just happen? Did we crash against anything?” Adora said with an urgent tone. Behind her, Catra. Glimmer and Bow (still wearing a set of cute heart pajamas) sat on their chairs and buckled up. Darla spoke with a glitchy voice.  
[Indeed. We seem to have collided with something. The hull damage is minimal, but my sensors can’t quite pick up what we crashed against. There’s only darkness ahead.]  
Adora messed with some of the panels and activated the front camera feed. There was indeed nothing in front of them. But the ship was pressed against something, hard. That much was certain. Adora looked at the others and scratched her head, asking.  
“Anyone? Suggestions?”  
Bow sighed and looked towards the panel, pondering.  
“Ummm…we might have to go for a spacewalk. If there’s something physical in front of us, we can’t risk a hull breach. This is weird though. Why is it always weird wherever we go?” He facepalmed as he spoke and tried to wake himself up with a couple of soft slaps on his cheeks.  
Adora nodded and sat back on the captain’s chair, reading the different panels. Bow spoke again.  
“Well. We need Adora here checking on Darla. Catra, you’re with me. We’ll go out and see what we find. Glimmer, suit up too. You’ll be our backup. Stay on the ship ready in case we need for you to come out for us.  
Everyone agreed and started moving, preparing for the new task at hand. Five minutes later, Bow and Catra stood on the airlock as Glimmer headed towards the airlock controls. She spoke over the suit’s intercom.  
“Okay, everyone ready. Don’t do anything stupid and move carefully out there. Try to find whatever Darla ran into. I’ll stay here and keep the airlock open. Good luck”  
With that said, Bow and Catra nodded to each other and slowly jumped out of the ship. The lack of gravity took immediate hold of them as they slowly started drifting towards the exterior of the cockpit. There was nothing on sight. Only infinite pitch-black space. Catra took port and Bow took starboard. Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Adora frowned. Darla’s sensors where picking a really faint energy signature right in front of them. She could not pinpoint exactly where though, as it seemed to jump all over the expanse in front of them.  
Outside, Bow got finally close to the ship’s front. There was indeed only blackness in front of it. But something weirded him out. The lowest part of the cockpit was…missing? No. Not missing. It looked like there was something in front of it. Something… completely devoid of any colour. Bow reached to touch it and as soon as he made contact with it, a spark of light blinded him and sent a really painful wave of pain all through his body. Strong enough actually to render him immediately unconscious.   
Catra returned to the ship and shook her head, looking at Glimmer as she spoke.  
“There’s nothing over there. At least nothing I could see. Let’s see if Bow is luckier”  
Glimmer nodded and opened her intercom, calling for Bow.  
“Bow, how are you doing over there? Have you found anything?”  
Silence was the only answer. Glimmer frowned and turned around, walking inside the ship and heading towards the cockpit’s window. And there, she saw it. Bow was drifting away from the ship. His security cord was snapped and he wasn’t moving. Terror filled her completely as she turned around and ran towards Adora screaming.  
“ADORA. WE HAVE A PROBLEM. TURN THE SHIP STARBOARD. BOW IS DRIFTING AWAY. QUICK!”  
Adora jumped startled and nodded, turning on the ship. But her eyes widened as she realized something had just drained the ship’s entire fuel reserve. She spoke with a shaky voice as the horror of the situation settled in.  
“Glimmer…we’re…out of fuel. Don’t know how. We’re out of fuel. We’re stranded”  
Glimmer could feel her stomach turn completely, as she looked outside again and saw Bow getting further and further. Tears welled her eyes as she screamed and pounded on the wall.  
“NO! NO! NO! BOW! PLEASE NO!”  
Anxiety started building on her chest and Glimmer began to hyperventilate. Catra ran into that cockpit startled by the screams… only to see Glimmer disappear in front of her eyes and reappear moments later, with Bow in her arms.   
Silence fell over the ship as Adora’s eyes widened completely. She stood up and ran towards her, helping her sit Bow on the ground and take off his helmet, as she talked hurriedly.  
“Glimmer… How did you just teleport? We’re far from Etheria and the Moonstone. Your powers…shouldn’t work here. It’s impossible”  
Glimmer was still breathing heavily as she tried to calm down, caressing Bow’s cheek and trying not to start crying out of pure sudden stress. She took two minutes to calm down and finally answered with a shaky voice.  
“I…I don’t know, Adora. I was so scared I just tried to teleport and it…worked. It felt like I had access to the Moonstone’s flow somehow.”  
Adora helped Glimmer sit down and hugged her reassuringly. Meanwhile, Catra walked to Bow and softly lifted him up to her shoulders, while speaking in a serious tone.  
“I’ll take Bow to the bedroom. We should let him rest. He is breathing and there’s no signs of trauma. He should be fine”   
Glimmer and Adora nodded as she left to tend to Bow. Adora stood up after Glimmer calmed down and headed towards the cockpit, speaking to Darla.  
“Darla, is there any kind of First One’s signal around us? Or any connection to Etheria? Run a diagnostics”  
Some lights turned on the panels and a loading bar appeared. After a couple of minutes, Darla spoke.  
[Analysis concluded. Interdimensional failsafe detected. Do you wish to turn it off?]  
Adora and Glimmer looked at each other and nodded. With the click of a button, the ship started giving an alarm. Though this time, it wasn’t Darla’s voice that spoke. It was a masculine voice that spoke in thunderous volume.  
[Interdimensional failsafe offline. Activating security protocols. Contention Facility powering up. Please, stand by]  
As the voice stopped, both Adora and Glimmer stared in awe as the pitch-blackness outside disappeared and a massive structure began lighting up. It looked like a fortress. A fortress floating in space. A fortress they had slammed against.  
A few beeps took Adora out of her awe. There was a transmission incoming. She pressed a button and a hologram appeared in front of her, leaving them speechless as it spoke.  
[Unkown ship, this is Contention Facility Control. Please identify your…wait…Adora? GLIMMER?]


	11. Sacrifice. Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part I of Personality Matrix's Finale

For a few seconds, there was only silence. Glimmer looked at the hologram, as a smile formed on her face and tears welled on her eyes.  
“Mom? Is it really you?” She said with a shaky voice. Angella’s hologram covered her mouth, at a loss for words. Glimmer shook her head and tried to contain the burst of feelings, speaking more convinced this time.  
“We’ve come to save you, mom. It’s kind of a long story, but a lot has happened since you…disappeared. We believed you were dead. We came as soon as we discovered you were here”  
Angella’s hologram sighed and spoke with a soft tone.  
“Glimmer… You can’t even begin to imagine how happy seeing you again makes me. It’s really good to see you again too, Adora. But your presence here is a terrible danger for you both. And… I’m afraid I cannot leave with you. As much as I’d love to”  
Glimmer’s eyes widened as Angella replied, as she shook her head sternly, raising her voice.  
“What do you mean you cannot leave? You have to! This… this is not fair! I’ve missed you mom! You have no idea how hard it was to be Queen without you around… Why don’t you want to come back?”  
Adora placed a reassuring hand on Glimmer’s shoulder but abstained from breaking into the conversation. Angella looked away with a pained look in her eye.  
“Glimmer…It’s not that simple. Of course, I’d love to leave this place and return with you. But there are several reasons that prevent me from doing so. This Contention Facility has security measures beyond counting. And I’m keeping it from flagging you as an undesired target as we speak. If I left now, the turrets would obliterate you in less than a second. And also… I’m…not in control of my body anymore I’m afraid. When I was taken as a Contention Agent, my mind was transferred to the facilities mainframe.”  
Angella spoke with a pained voice. It was obvious that she wanted to leave as bad as Glimmer wanted her to. Adora intervened, hugging a very shaky Glimmer.  
“Your maj…Ummm…Angella… If what you say is true, then we have a big problem. We traveled here with a single use portal device. There’s no going back to Etheria without this facility being turned off. So… even though it seems impossible, we’ll have to make it work somehow. We’re not leaving Despondos without you.”  
Angella looked at Adora and sighed with a worried look on her face.  
“I see. Then we’ll have to work together if we are going to make this work. Let’s skip the emotional part for now, shall we Glimmer?”  
Angella looked at Glimmer and smiled reassuringly. She was still a bit shaky, but she cleared her throat and nodded, looking back at her mother and smiling too. Angella spoke again.  
“Then it’s settled. As you know, we have a few problems to tackle. The first one being… my lack of a body. If I’m not mistaken, the security bots placed my body in a secure tank inside the facility, in one of the lower levels. If we’re to do this, you must retrieve my body and bring it to the main control room, where my personality matrix is installed. There is a device there that should return my consciousness back into my body. That’s problem number one. The easy one actually. The second is…well…way worse.”  
She looked away again and sighed. Adora and Glimmer looked at each other as Angella spoke again.  
“As I said, if I just leave my position on this facility, security measures will go haywire and destroy your ship. Also…without me tapped into the mainframe, there is no way we could turn off the interdimensional blockade…”  
Angella paused and sighed, as Glimmer’s stomach turned, realizing what she meant.  
“So… What you mean to say is… in order for you to leave, someone else must stay behind”  
Adora’s face darkened a bit as she heard Glimmer. Angella nodded with a sad stare.  
“There is no other way I’m afraid, Glimmer. We should just focus in finding a way to get you all back to Etheria”  
Glimmer shook her head and screamed.  
“No! I’m not leaving you behind! Not again!”  
Glimmer finally broke into tears, as Adora hugged her once again.  
“Angella…give us some time. We must discuss what to do next. We’ll let you know when we are ready.” Adora said. Angella nodded and sighed, cutting the holographic feed. Adora grabbed Glimmer’s hand and led her back into the ship.  
“Come on. We should check on Bow and fill them both on what Angella said.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later, the four of them looked at each other as a heavy silence fell over the bedroom. Glimmer had curled up in bed in front of a serious Bow. Adora sat in bed. And Catra was looking at a wall with a pained expression.  
“This is all my fault. It was me opening that damn portal that caused all of this.”  
Catra spoke with a half angry half pained voice. Glimmer looked away, as Bow answered.  
“That much is true, Catra. But that’s in the past. This is not the time nor the place to look for an scapegoat. The problem remains the same. Even if we manage to get Angella’s body back, one of us would have to stay behind and take her place”  
Catra looked at Adora and sighed, sitting down next to her.  
“Well… In other circumstances, I would have offered to take Angella’s place myself, as this is my fault to begin with. But… I promised Adora I would stay. And I’m not going to break that promise”  
Adora smiled and kissed Catra gently, speaking with a soft tone.  
“We know. Don’t worry. Any of us staying behind is out of the question. That still leave us with the prob…”  
[I could take Angella’s place]  
Darla’s voice spoke through one of the ship’s intercoms. The four of them incorporated with a surprised stare on their faces.  
[This facility is run by a Personality Matrix quite similar to mine. You could transfer my consciousness into the mainframe instead. I could keep the ship’s capabilities online while you take Angella and leave Despondos]  
Bow pondered for a second and spoke.  
“But…you would stay here, Darla. Entrapta would kill us all if we leave you here”  
[Negative. I would be able to transfer myself back to the ship using the facilities network]  
Glimmer’s eyes sparkled as she jumped out of the bed.  
“This…this…this is perfect!”  
She yelled as she hugged bow tightly, almost raising him up from the floor. Bow laughed and hugged her back.  
“Are you sure about this, Darla? If what you say is true, we might have a chance to pull this off” Adora said while smiling and holding Catra’s hand.  
[Of course. Look on the cabinet over the cockpit’s main computer. There’s where my personality chip is installed. You just have to install that chip on the Mainframe’s console and I will be able to transfer myself and take control]  
Adora nodded and smiled. The four of them joined on a cheerful group hug, as Glimmer spoke.  
“Let’s do this. Let’s save my mom”


	12. Sacrifice. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gets ready to go into the depot to rescue Angella once and for all

Angella’s hologram flickered inside the cockpit, as Adora finished explaining the plan.  
“Well… Is your ship’s AI sure she is ready to do this? It’ll be dangerous. And also… Isn’t that lady one of the horde soldiers that attacked Bright Moon?” Angella said with a questioning expression.  
[Affirmative. As soon as I’m installed in the mainframe, your consciousness will be ready to be transferred back into your body. I’ll keep the defense systems at bay while you retreat to the ship]  
As Darla spoke, Adora walked to an embarrassed looking Catra and took her hand, planting a kiss on her cheek. Catra lowered her ears a bit looking at the hologram while Adora spoke.  
“As we said, a lot has happened since you disappeared Angella. We’re…together now”  
Angella nodded and smiled, with a spark of excitement in her eyes. Catra, on the other hand, blushed a deep red as Glimmer and Bow snickered.  
“I see. Let’s do this then. Brace for a second. I will tow your ship to the access port”  
As she spoke, a giant robotic arm wrapped around the ship and started moving it away towards a massive arch in one of the sides of the structure. Adora put her spacesuit’s helmet on, making sure it was isolated. After all seals were in place, she couldn’t help herself and cheekily pinched one of Catra’s helmet ears, getting a startled hiss for an answer.  
“Well, all checked inside here, Angella. We’re ready to go on your signal” Adora said with a decided tone. Angella spoke again, giving numerous instructions.  
“Okay, the tow should lock you to the access port in 2 minutes. Once inside, you shouldn’t encounter much trouble. I’m still keeping the security systems off, so no bot should bother you on the way to the contention chamber. Be prepared though. As soon as you open the pod that contains my body, my security privilege’s will be overruled by the facilities’ central computer. You’ll have to fight your way to the central chamber, put my body on the extractor pod and install the AI’s chip. This won’t be easy. Be careful and don’t try to be heroes. Now that you’re here, you are completely forbidden to fail. That is an order.”  
Angella winked at the team and the transmission feed cut off. With a noticeable shake, the ship locked itself to the access port and the doors opened. Bow sighed and walked towards the exit with a decided look on his eyes.  
“Okay. Let’s do this best friend quad style”  
Catra heard him and replied with a joking tone.  
“Rushing heads on without a plan and being blown to pieces while screaming that this was a bad idea?”  
Glimmer laughed warmly and walked outside with Bow.  
“Yeah. That about sums it up. Let’s go”  
With a cheerful tone, the group exit the ship and started walking into the facility. It looked exactly like every other First One’s ruin they had ever encountered before. Massive purple plain walls all around with different sets of runes and markings. There was something different though. From floor to ceiling it appeared to be hundreds of small compartments embedded on the walls. There were no handles on them though. Bow noticed and pondered, speaking in a quiet tone.  
“What do you think those are for?”  
Adora looked at them with a face of pure mistrust as she answered.  
“If I’ve learned anything about First One’s… it’s probably nothing good. Let’s keep going”  
The hallway made a few turns left and right, but it always kept in a straight line, with no branching paths. After a few minutes walking, a room opened before them with an eerie sight. It was some kind of storage area. And it was full of stasis pods. Catra whistled in weirded awe and spoke:  
“Look at all that. This looks like something Hordak would have had in the Fright Zone back in the day”  
Glimmer walked towards a control panel in the center and pressed a few buttons. The panel came online and showed different screens of data. She called the others:  
“Hey guys. This looks like the main control panel for this room. According to this screen right here, all stasis pods are empty but one. So, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that’s my mom”  
Adora nodded while reading the info panels and sighed, heading to the back of the group.  
“Okay, it looks like those levers over there control some kind of robotic arm. Try to get your mother’s pod to here. Catra, with me. We’ll keep our backs covered”  
Adora walked to the chamber’s entrance followed by Catra. Bow headed towards the panel and started controlling the levers. A mechanical arm answered his input and began moving slowly and clunky through the room. Glimmer gave him directions and for a couple of minutes, they brawled with the system to get the correct stasis pod. Finally, the arm’s claw made contact and closed around the pod. Bow jumped cheerfully and began towing the pod towards the platform they were in. But the cheerfulness was short lived.  
As soon as the pod left its spot on the walls, a red light began glowing through the room. The same male voice from before spoke in a lifeless tone.  
[Interdimensional Contention Agent security compromised. Security clearance overrule in process. Lethal countermeasures deployed]  
Much to Adora and Catra’s annoyance, they discovered that those compartments in the walls were security bot stations as they began opening and dozens of small sized drones began flying aggressively towards them.  
“For the honor of Grayskull!”  
Catra lunged first and began fighting the bots as Adora transformed. Every second they fought though, more and more bots flooded the hallway. Hundreds. Thousands of them. Catra and She-Ra fought back to back, but it wasn’t long before they started to get overwhelmed.  
“Guys! Could you please be faster? We’re getting our asses kicked over here!”  
Catra yelled looking back for a second. Bow nodded and hurried with the controls. The stasis pod was really close… until suddenly it stopped.  
“Wha?”  
Bow began yelling with a cracked voice. But before he could finish, Angella’s hologram reflected in the pod’s crystal and spoke.  
“Hop in, all of you. The hallway is flooded with bots. You’ll never make it that way. I’ll take the pod through the maintenance tunnels. Quickly now!”  
Bow and Glimmer jumped and latched to the pod as tight as they could. Behind them, She-Ra slashed three bots with a single swing and lunged at Catra, grabbing her like a small potato sack. With a startled meow, Catra was dragged away from the fight, and with a single powerful jump, they both were now hanging from the pod too. Angella spoke again.  
“Brace yourselves! This is gonna be a bumpy ride”  
The pod was shot upwards really fast. The four friends closed their eyes and screamed out of pure adrenaline as the pod coursed through a series of massive empty pipes. It wasn’t long before they were spat out through a grate and fell in a dimly lit circular room. It was mostly empty except for a massive computer in the far wall and a circular slot next to it. Angella’s hologram flickered on the computer’s screen.  
“Good, you’re here. There’s no time to lose. The bots are rushing this way as we speak. Quickly, get the pod to that slot next to the computer and connect it. And Adora, install the AI’s chip on this slot next to the keyboard.  
The four friends stood up slowly, still dizzy after the fun pod ride and nodded. Bow, Glimmer and Catra took the pod and headed towards the pod slot. Meanwhile, Adora walked towards the main computer and took out the chip, installing it on the slot Angella mentioned. As soon as both the pod and the chip were installed, she sighed and looked at the screen. Angella looked worried, but the focused expression on her eyes never disappeared. She spoke gently.  
“Well, here we are. Everything is ready. All you have to do now is flip those switches next to the slot and the transfer should begin.”  
Something big pounded violently against one of the doors in the far corner. Catra rushed towards it and got ready just in case, yelling.  
“Do it, Adora! We’re out of time!”  
Adora nodded and flipped the switches. The lights flickered over them and a loading bar began rushing on the screen. The thing outside kept pounding on the door, as noticeable dents appeared on the reinforced metal. Glimmer tippy-tapped, nervous as she gritted her teeth.  
“Come oon…come oon”  
The loading bar rushed towards the other end of the screen, and as soon as it finished loading, a power surge crackled against Adora’s hand, sending her flying through the air. The pounding stopped and the lights cut out, as Catra rushed to Adora’s side screaming in fear.  
“ADORA!”  
Glimmer and Bow held their breath for a few seconds as they saw their friend laying on the ground. But it wasn’t long before She-Ra disappeared and a confused Adora sat down on the floor, speaking in a dizzy voice.  
“Wha…what happened. Ouch, that hurts”  
Catra hugged her and looked at her hand with a worried expression. The skin had been burned in a strange pattern, but it didn’t seem to be badly damaged. Adora spoke softly:  
“I’m okay, Catra. Don’t worry. It’s just a little burn, that’s all.”  
As she spoke, the lights flickered back in. The main computer’s screen lighted up and a pink orb appeared on the screen.  
[Personality Matrix initialized. Loading successful. Hello, I am Darla. Initializing pod decompression. Reattempting facility login]  
As Darla spoke, the stasis pod made a sizzling sound and the crystal fell to the floor gently. And out of it, with a groan, Angella stepped out with a confused and dizzy expression. Glimmer’s eyes welled up in tears as she ran and hugged her mother. Both of them fell to the ground, laughing and crying out of pure joy. Angella spoke first.  
“I’m so proud of you, commander…no…Queen Glimmer. You did it”  
Bow wiped a tear out of his face as Adora and Catra joined him with a smile on their faces.  
[Alert. Mainframe privileges revoked. Maximum Security Clearance dispatched]  
The door was slammed again, startling everyone in the room as an alarm started roaring all throughout the complex. Angella stood up as Adora rushed to the console.  
“Darla? What’s going on?”  
Darla answered in a crackling voice.  
[The facilities’ main computer is overruling my privileges. I can’t contain it. You have to leave now]  
The door cracked and a hideous mass of tentacles began pouring through the crack with a gurgling sound. Adora prepared to transform again, but Darla spoke.  
[No. There are too many. You can’t defeat them all. Go. Behind the pod’s slot there is a platform. Stand there. I’ll use the last of my power to activate a pocket portal to the ship]  
Adora’s stomach turned as she asked.  
“What…what do you mean the last of your power? Darla?”  
The computer’s ball dimmed.  
[I lied. I’m not going back with you. My connection to the ship has been severed. I’m running out of energy. So please, go. I have disabled the Quantum Blockade. If you make it to the ship, you can return to Etheria. Go.]  
Adora shook her head and yelled.  
“No! We’re not leaving you behind! We had a perfect plan! You can’t just stay behind! There must be a way to get you back to the ship too”  
The ball lighted up once again.  
[As Lady Entrapta says, imperfections can sometimes be beautiful. And either I do this or you all die here Now go, before I turn off. I’m sure Lady Entrapta will be happy to have their friends back. It’s a small sacrifice to make knowing that]  
As the pad on the ground lighted up, the ball on the screen dimmed until it finally disappeared.  
[Darla logging off. Good night]  
Tears streamed down Adora’s face as she turned around, grabbing the others and standing on the pad. The grotesque mass of tentacles lunged at them, but before it could reach them, reality distorted around them, and in the blink of an eye, they were all standing in the ship’s cockpit.  
Outside, drones flew all around in a frenzy. The alarm lights shone in the previous darkness. But inside the cockpit, there was only silence as Adora sat on the captain’s chair and began activating the quantum jump systems.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mystacor’s courtyard laid silent, only broken by the wind flapping the tents that had been installed. Swift Wind laid on his belly, looking towards the sky. He had been trying to contact Adora again and again. But to no avail. It had been a whole week since they left, and everyone was starting to lose hope and fear something had gone wrong. Scorpia and Perfuma laid sat next to him, completely asleep at each other’s arms.  
With a sigh, he stood up and began walking back inside a tent when suddenly, the air cracked over him. Swift Wing neighed loudly and began running around, kicking tents.  
“WAKE UP! WAKE UP! SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!”  
Every tent began rumbling with activity as they all woke up and rushed outside. The sky above the courtyard began crackling with purple sparks. Entrapta rushed outside with a device on her hand and began taking measures of the crackling while the others stared in awe. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the ship materialized out of thin air.  
Everyone started cheering at unison. Scorpia hugged Perfuma and Micah raised Frosta into his shoulders as they all celebrated. Swift Wind began flying around the ship as it slowly descended into the ground and landed with a soft bump. Everyone present gathered as the ramp descended and the door opened. Adora and Catra came out first and it wasn’t long before they were raised crowd surfing. They laughed at the welcome, but they were veiled laughs. Not as cheerful as they should have been.  
Glimmer and Bow came out next, and behind them, Angella walked out of the ship with a shy smile on her face. The roaring grew the loudest as she stepped out. Perfuma and Castaspella ran towards her and hugged her tightly as Angella laughed cheerfully. And then, silence befell the group in anticipation.  
Angella looked at the others and asked.  
“What? Why the sudden silence”  
Someone cleared his throat behind her. Angella turned around and her eyes went wide with shock as she covered her mouth and instantly began crying.  
“You are as beautiful as the last time I saw you, my love” Micah spoke. Angella instantly fell into his arms and kissed him, as everyone around cheered and clapped. Glimmer took Bow’s hand and walked towards her mom and dad with a warm smile on her face. Angella noticed her holding hands with Bow and smiled, reaching to them and joining into a family hug as she spoke.  
“This feels like a dream. I’m not dreaming right?”  
Micah chuckled and shook his head, answering.  
“No. This is real. Welcome home”  
Meanwhile, after the cheering turned to the happy family, Adora sighed and walked towards Entrapta and Hordak. They looked at her with a smile as Entrapta asked.  
“Is something wrong, Adora? You have to tell me EVERYTHING about the mission. How did Darla’s new matrix perform?”  
Adora looked away with a pained expression.  
“Entrapta… Darla didn’t make it. She transferred itself into the facilities’ computer and gave us all enough time to escape. But she… she turned herself off. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring her home She saved us all.”  
Entrapta’s face darkened instantly.  
“Oh…”  
Hordak hugged her gently, as Entrapta tried to hide her tears. Adora felt incredibly bad seeing her like that, and reached to her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Entrapta looked at her hand and her expression went from sadness to seriousness in a fraction of a second, grabbing Adora’s hand immediately and looking at the burn marks on it. Without saying anything, she took out her pad and took a picture of them, and with that same serious expression, Entrapta turned around.  
“I have to go. I’ll call you back, Adora. Thank you for telling me”  
Before she could reply, Entrapta took off running. Hordak shrugged and ran behind her. As they disappeared in the distance, Catra walked towards Adora and kissed her gently.  
“Hey, there’s nothing you could have done. Don’t blame yourself. Darla made a choice. She decided to save us.”  
Adora sighed and held her hand tightly, trying to smile.  
“Yeah. You are right. We should join the others. There’s so much to talk about”  
Catra snuggled Adora’s cheek gently and they finally joined back the others. It wasn’t long till laughter came back to them, as the night carried on and Mystacor celebrated the return of their late queen.


	13. Epilogue

A week went by after the group returned from Despondos. The general mood in Mystacor was perfect. Glimmer and Micah had spent most of the week updating Angella on the war with Horde Prime and everything that happened in her absence. The princesses were all having a blast together, taking a vacation from their kingdom's duties. All except Entrapta. Neither she nor Hordak had been seen ever since the group returned from Despondos.

Adora and Catra walked together through the gardens, holding hands. They had been spending a lot more time together ever since they came back. And it was showing. Catra seemed way more relaxed and comfortable. Adora smiled to herself, getting lost on her facial features, until she was pulled out of her daydream by Catra's voice.

"Hey, you are gonna up hurting me with the intensity of that stare. What? Am I that pretty?"

Adora blushed and chuckled, answering.

"Nah. I wasn't looking at you. I was looking at those flowers. They are far more interesting."

Catra pouted and gently punched her in the arm. Adora laughed warmly and sighed, as she kept walking. With a sigh, Catra laid her head against Adora's shoulder and nudged her a bit. Adora closed her eyes and caressed her hair.

"Months ago, if someone told me we'd get this far together, I would have laughed in his face. But hey, here we are."

Catra looked at her with a snarky smile.

"What... you gonna go all lovey-dovey on me now? Look at you. One day you are tearing enemy drones apart with just your fist and the next one you are going all soft and mellow"

Catra chuckled as Adora frowned, but she was caught by surprise when Adora tackled her to the ground. They both rolled through the floor, laughing heartily when suddenly, Adora's pad started beeping. Adora took it out and turned it on. Entrapta's face appeared on screen. She had huge eye bags, as if she hadn't slept all week, and spoke in her usual high-pitched voice.

"ADORA! GOOD. I NEED YOU TO COME TO MY LAB ASAP. WE'RE INSTALLED NEXT TO THE PORTAL YOU USED. IT'S IMPORTANT. HURRY."

The transmission was cut immediately. Adora looked at Catra and shrugged, speaking.

"Well... We should go check on her. She doesn't look too good. She didn't take Darla's sacrifice well."

Catra nodded and jumped up, helping Adora get on her feet.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Entrapta's lab. Adora was about to barge in when Catra took her hand with a judgemental glare and knocked on the door first.

"COME IIN"

Adora chuckled with a "sorry" face as they both walked in. The interior was a complete and utter mess. Pieces of metal and all kind of tech were lying around. And in the center, both Entrapta and Hordak were standing in front of some kind of contraption. Adora spoke first.

"Entrapta? We're here. Are you okay? You look...awful."

Entrapta didn't reply, as she turned around and walked towards Adora, taking her hand again. The burn marks had almost healed, but Entrapta looked at them intently and spoke to her recorder.

"Good. Mnemonic impressions on hand cross-referenced again. It seems like the picture held the full sequence well enough. Ready for final testing fase".

She turned around and went back to the contraption, tinkering with it. Hordak sighed and walked to Adora and Catra, speaking in a soft tone.

"I suppose you both have questions. Shoot"

Adora looked at Catra and asked.

"Is she okay? She looks really...focused on that...tech...thing"

Hordak looked behind him with a worried expression.

"She...is tired. I've spent the whole week trying to get her to eat and sleep. But she's too concentrated on the Personality Matrix. She doesn't even listen to me."

Adora raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, a personality matrix? She's creating a new Darla?"

Hordak shook his head.

"No. She believes that she can recover original Darla. Those burn marks on your hand look like a mnemonic impression"

Adora and Catra looked at him with a plain stare. Adora spoke first.

"Ooooh riiiiight a mnemonic impression. Of course. That. I knew what it was"

Hordak facepalmed and sat down, ready to explain. Catra and Adora did the same.

"A mnemonic impression is kind of...a code. It takes the form of diverse markings that when processed by the right processor, can hold the data required to run a program. Entrapta believes Darla intended to self-preserve herself using that method. And that's why in the heat of the moment, she used a power surge to brand the impression on your hand."

Adora looked at her hand as her eyes sparkled with anticipation. She stood up and walked towards the contraption. Entrapta noticed her and smiled, faltering for a bit. Luckily, Hordak was already behind her before she fell and held her.

"Entrapta, you should get some sleep. You are exhausted"

Entrapta caressed his hand and kissed him on the cheek, replying in a soft tone.

"I will. I promise. Bur first...Let's boot it up."

Entrapta pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever, as Adora and Catra backed up a bit. The contraption twisted and turned for a bit, lighting up. Entrapta ran towards her keyboard and started typing in a fast succession, as the contraption kept powering up.

Lights flickered slowly. And suddenly, a holographic ball popped over it right before power was cut off. Entrapta rushed towards the ball and knelt next to it, speaking with a shaky voice.

"Darla?"

The ball flickered a bit and tilted to one side.

[Good morning, Lady Entrapta. Good morning, Adora. Initializing connection reset]

Entrapta tried to jump excitedly, but she was so weak she just tumbled into Hordak's arms. He took her into his arms and slowly carried her to the bed, speaking softly.

"Now, it's time for you to sleep. And I won't accept a no as an answer. You're at your limit. And I won't allow you to push yourself further"

Meanwhile, Adora smiled brightly and hugged the holographic ball. Darla screeched softly.

"I thought we had lost you. Don't you ever dare lie to us again or we'll make you scrap, understood?"

The ball shook happily in what seemed like a nod as Hordak returned with a smile on his face. Suddenly though, the holographic ball turned green. Hordak frowned and rushed towards a terminal. His eyes widened in surprise, as Darla spoke.

[Connection to the Interdimensional Depot, stablished. Stellar Vessels on range detected: 2]


End file.
